AUBURN, Ala. - A spirited rally fell short for
the Mississippi State women's basketball team.

Falling down by as many as 16 points in the
first half, the Bulldogs stormed back and made it a competitive finish, before
falling 74-65 to Auburn in the final Southeastern Conference regular season
contest for both teams at the Auburn Arena.

MSU (13-16 overall, 5-11 SEC) earns the No. 12
seed in the SEC Tournament and will face Alabama at 5 p.m. CT Wednesday in
Duluth, Ga. The game will be broadcast regionally by Fox Sports Net South and
may be heard locally through the Bulldog Sports Network on WNMQ-FM (103.1).

MSU were playing fresh off a 50-38 upset win
over No. 11 Georgia in the Humphrey Coliseum Thursday night. However, the
Bulldogs could not build on that momentum.

"We just weren't ready to play," MSU head coach
Vic Schaefer said. "You don't have to blame anyone, or look any further than me.
We came out and weren't ready to play when the lights came on. We haven't had a
good practice the last couple of days, which is typical of a young,
inexperienced basketball team coming off a great win.

"I give Auburn a lot of credit. They really
executed and forced us into 31 turnovers."

After allowing 38 points total to Georgia, MSU
gave up that many in the first half Sunday. Auburn shot 55.6 percent from the
floor in the first half and blitzed out to a 40-24 halftime advantage.

MSU began the second half with a 12-2 run. A
3-pointer by Jerica James, followed by two free throws by James, had the
Bulldogs within 42-36 with 16:20 left in the contest.

A jumper in the lane by Martha Alwal had MSU
within 44-40 with 14:13 remaining.

An old-fashioned 3-point play by James brought
MSU within 48-45. Auburn (16-13, 5-11) finally righted the ship and scored the
game's next eight points. A 3-pointer by Blanche Alverson ran the Tigers'
advantage to 56-45 with 9:38 left.

Still, MSU hung tough and closed within six on
two occasions in the final 6:46.

"We obviously struggled against their zone press
most of the day," Schaefer said. "I think that was the key, and our inability
guard Alverson on the perimeter. Those were really the biggest disappointments
for me. Again, that's my inability in preparing this team, and we just have to
find a way to bounce back."

For the contest, the Bulldogs hit 25 of 48 shots
from the field (51.2 percent), 3 of 8 shots from 3-point range (37.5 percent)
and 12 of 14 shots from the foul line (85.7 percent). The Tigers hit 25 of 52
shots from the field (48.1 percent), 6 of 13 shots from 3-point range (46.2
percent) and 18 of 23 shots from the foul line (78.3 percent).

MSU held a 30-26 rebounding advantage. The
Bulldogs had 13 assists and 31 turnovers, while the Tigers had 22 assists and 23
turnovers.

For MSU, Alwal notched her 16th
double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds. Kendra Grant also added 15 points,
while James and Carnecia Williams each added 12 points.

Now, all thoughts turn to the postseason.

"We're going to embrace that opportunity and go
do it," Schaefer said. "We're excited about it and look forward to playing on
Wednesday, when no one else is playing. I'm sure Alabama will be ready for us,
and it will be a great opportunity for both teams."